Contents

Early life

Hart was born in Smithtown, New York, on Long Island, the daughter of Paula, a producer and talent manager, and William Hart, a shellfish purveyor, clam hatchery worker, and entrepreneur.[4] Hart grew up in Sayville, New York. Her stepfather (since 1994) is television executive Leslie Gilliams, and her stepmother is Lisa Hart. Hart was named after the Allman Brothers song "Melissa", while her middle name, Joan, came from her maternal grandmother. Hart chose Catherine as her confirmation name when she was in the eighth grade.

Hart is the eldest of eight children with six sisters, and one brother. Sisters Trisha, Elizabeth and Emily Hart, brother Brian, and half-sisters Alexandra Hart-Gilliams and Samantha Hart have all acted. Her half-sister, Mackenzie Hart, is not in show business.

In 1989, she auditioned for a Broadway production of The Crucible starring Martin Sheen, becoming an understudy to three of the young girls in the play. This paved the way for her to land the title role in the TV show Clarissa Explains It All. The Nickelodeon series, a comedy about a teen girl in everyday situations, became a big hit during its four-year run. The show made her a household name among American teenagers and brought her four consecutive Young Artist Award nominations, of which she won three.Her role in the series also led to her starring in the FMV video game Nickelodeon's Director's Lab as a tour guide that takes the player around a movie studio. In 1992, she and Clarissa cast member Jason Zimbler appeared on the game show Nick Arcade as contestants, she is one the few people who played the beta version of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 on the Video Challenge.

Hart also recorded two albums as Clarissa, This is What 'Na Na' Means and a recording of Peter and the Wolf (Sony Classical SK 64079). The first record, a rock/pop album in the style of a garage band, did not receive much attention from critics or the public; and the second album won a Parents' Choice award.

Hart appeared in lingerie in a series of photographs and accompanying article featured in the October 1999 issue of the men's magazine Maxim. Hart continued her acting career in the 2000s. Her work included the film Rent Control, which was produced in 2002 and later aired in 2005 on the ABC Familycable network. Hart continued her role on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which finished in 2003, and also performed several voice-over roles for animation.

In 1999, Hart made her directorial debut in an episode of Disney Channel's So Weird called "Snapshot" which starred her sister, Emily Hart. She later directed an episode of Nickelodeon's Taina in 2001. In 2001-2002, she directed 6 episodes of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, including the season finale. In 2005, Hart directed her first movie, a 15-minute live-action short film called Mute, starring her sister Emily.

Hart guest-starred on an episode of Law & Order: SVU that aired on October 9, 2007 titled "Impulsive" as a teacher accused of statutory rape.[9] In late 2007, she directed the "Anger Cage" video for her husband Mark Wilkerson's band Course of Nature. She also starred in the ABC Family Original Movie Holiday in Handcuffs, opposite Mario Lopez. The movie premiered on December 9, 2007, and was the highest rated program in the history of the network, with 6.7 million viewers.[10] Hart followed this with another ABC movie with a similar premise, My Fake Fiance, in 2009.

It was announced on August 17, 2009 that she would compete in season 9 of Dancing with the Stars.[12][13] She was paired up with two-time reigning champion, Mark Ballas. On October 27, Melissa was eliminated from the competition, finishing ninth out of sixteen. In 2010, Hart will return to sitcoms, starring with Joey Lawrence in a new sitcom, Melissa & Joey, scheduled to air on ABC Family in the summer. Hart will play a woman who hires Lawrence as a nanny to help care for her incarcerated sister's kids. [14][15][16][17]

Personal life

On July 19, 2003, Hart married musician Mark Wilkerson.[18] The preparations for the ceremony, which took place in Florence, Italy, were documented in a TV miniseries titled Tying the Knot, produced by Hart's production company, Hartbreak Films. Hart and Wilkerson have two sons: Mason Walter Wilkerson, who was born on January 11, 2006 weighing 9lbs;[19] and Braydon "Brady" Hart Wilkerson, born on March 12, 2008, weighing 7lbs, 3oz.[20] Both boys were born in Los Angeles, California.

Hart and Wilkerson were featured in People magazine's April 7, 2008 issue, introducing Braydon to the world.[21] Hart wrote a diary, including video entries, to document potty training her son, Mason, for Pull-Ups brand diapers.[22][23]

She played the title roles in the television seriesClarissa Explains It All and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. In 1999 she played the lead role in the movie Drive Me Crazy. On July 19, 2003, she married musician Mark Wilkerson. On January 11, 2006 she gave birth to a boy they named Mason Walter Wilkerson.